There is something of a tragedy in places where natives are driven into minority status. Who knows what the waves of climate and resource war migrations will do to Europe in terms of cultural upheaval? The wild kingdom endures its own invasions of animals, plants, and insects, driven, as well, by climate change and human exploitation. Often, the invasive species can be predatory, as were the settlers vs. the Native Americans and certain Islamic extremists living in the free world.
As a master gardener intern, I've been trained to side with the natives in their fight to possess territory. This sounds like a convenient simplifying precept until you start asking for native plants at local nurseries. Browsing through the Native Plant Guide for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, I picked four ground cover plants that I decided to shop for to get the best price from nurseries as far as 50 miles away. It turned out that price wasn't the issue, since not a single one was available at any of the half dozen nurseries shopped.
It seems that the online shopping option will be the solution to this apparent lack of conservation consciousness. If I don't want to buy in quantities of 25 or greater from the Maryland Online Nursery, I can still buy numerous native species at Izel Plants, the Amazon.com of native plants. Izel (meaning "unique" in a Native American language), is a clearinghouse for nurseries specializing in native plants. Prices appear to be relatively low, and include quantity discounts. The mid-Atlantic region is their strongest sector.
Should neither of these sources carry the plants I want, there are other listings yet to be explored. As mentioned earlier, the local annual Master Gardener plant sale is a real good shopping opportunity, as well.
